The Chicago Bears dominated their 2025 coaching hire when they signed Ben Johnson to be the next head coach, and his arrival has been arguably the biggest reason why the Bears are on track to make the ‘worst to first’ leap in 2025. However, there’s another piece of Chicago’s offseason that has contributed in a huge way to the team’s winning season, and that is the offensive line.
General manager Ryan Poles caught a lot of flak from the fans, and deservedly so, for not investing enough into this critical position group in the past, and it sure seems like he got the memo. He first traded for guard Jonah Jackson, who had previously earned a Pro Bowl under Ben Johnson, then pulled off a massive trade for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney. Poles went on to sign the best center available in free agency and spent a second-round pick on left tackle Ozzy Trapilo.
The results speak for themselves. At this point, the success of Ryan Poles’ vision is obvious, and it will become undeniable when the 2025 season awards are announced. NFL insider Ian Rapoport took to X (formerly Twitter) to give an update on the current fan voting totals for this year’s Pro Bowl, and the Bears are on pace to have four out of five starting offensive linemen earn a Pro Bowl nod this year.
Here are the rest of the fan vote totals, broken down by position. https://t.co/5xmQN5O6pP pic.twitter.com/Ky0myZeDOh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 9, 2025
Drew Dalman has the second-most votes for the center position, while Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson are first and third, respectively, for guards. Darnell Wright is currently fourth for offensive tackles, but an injury to the Cardinals’ Paris Johnson, the top vote-getter, could see him move up even further.
In NFL history, only the Dallas Cowboys have sent four offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl in a single season, and they did it twice in the heyday of their ’90s dynasty (1995 and 1996). This would make Chicago just the second NFL team to hold this distinction, and the first occurrence in 30 years.
Ryan Poles putting together a case to win NFL Executive of the Year
One rarely sees such a stark turnaround for a position group in one offseason. In 2024, the Bears’ offensive line had major problems at every position except right tackle. That’s what led Ryan Poles to completely reset the interior of the offensive line while adding a contingency plan at left tackle, should Braxton Jones’ injury hold him back in 2025 (sadly, it did).
If the Bears do see four out of five starting offensive linemen earn a Pro Bowl nod, and if the team wins the division, I see no reason why Poles shouldn’t be the unanimous NFL Executive of the Year. He’s turned a perennial loser into a legitimate contender in one offseason, and that kind of Herculean effort can’t go unrecognized.
David Banks-Imagn Images
More Chicago Bears News:Don’t expect Bears’ Caleb Williams to have a big game against BrownsBears’ rookies hoard game balls from thrilling Week 14 loss to PackersInsane stat shows just how much Bears’ rival respects Caleb WilliamsBen Johnson reveals where blame for game-ending INT against Packers lies